Reviews for Out and About

The average rating for Out and About based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-05-24 00:00:00 Craig Root Genre: non-fiction Format: picture book Grade level: middle school - high school Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan by Tony O'Brien and Mike Sullivan captures how war affects children and teens in the region where it is occurring. This book provides the honest opinions and feelings about life and war in Afghanistan from children between the ages of 8 and 18. The authors' note in the beginning of the book explains that Afghanistan has been the center of wars for decades. The country is poverty-stricken and lacks hope for the future. Most of the children only want provisions for their families and an educations, things that we take for granted. An 11 year old girl, Nadira, works on carpets with her family. She says, "because of the work I don't go to school. I would like to go." She has been working for six years. It is necessary for the children to work for the family to survive. The photographs in the book tell a story without the text. There is an old saying that "the eyes are the windows to the soul." The children's eyes tell of a heart-breaking journey and a yearning for something more. The pictures cry out to the reader and provide invaluable insight into the families' lives. This book would be best for upper middle school - high school students. It would be a great book to read prior to discussing the wars in Afghanistan. Other books that might interest readers of this book are Valerie J. Weber's I Come from Afghanistan (This is My Story) and Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-12-12 00:00:00 Carlos Fuentes This is a very powerful book, probably more appropriate for students grades 4 and up. The book contains background and stories on many Afghan children and young adults, and their experiences living in a dangerous part of the world. This book will give students perspective and insight into what is going on in our world, and hopefully this will help to shape them into empathetic and caring human beings. 2008 Global